Do you know what September is?
Sickle Cell Awareness month
Lymphoma Awareness month
Suicide Prevention Awareness month
September is a lot of things.
The first weekday of September is the first day of school in Ukraine. They used to start off the school year with parades. Every child was dressed in matching uniforms - the boys in multipiece suits and the girls with fluffy white bows in their hair. Flowers, flags, and balloons were everywhere. Now, their classrooms are in subway bunkers to keep the children and teachers safe from missiles.
The day the twin towers fell is another big one in September. It always feels weird when people plan ordinary, daily life things on 9/11. I don't consider myself superstitious, but that date will always have a shadow hanging over it.
September is the month of my parents' anniversary. 40 years of marriage before he passed. Imagine that.
September is the month my husband and I started dating. What hopeful children we were then.
September holds the birthdays of several family, friends, and coworkers.
There's even an international talk like a pirate day in September.
September is a lot of things.
There are many reasons to celebrate in September and perhaps just as many reasons not to. That is not unique to this month, of course. But just as the beginning of the year marks renewal, beginnings, starts, and adventures yet to come, so the end of the year is marked with remembrance, solemn observation, and honoring adventures that have ended. And it always seems to start in September.
I could wear a hundred different colored ribbons up and down both arms to bring awareness to all the things I care about and it still would not be enough.
Whether you celebrate or not... Whether you observe, advocate, participate, bring awareness, or prefer to remain silent... may September be a month of hope, joy, love, peace, kindness, and gentleness to you and your loved ones.
May it be a reminder to hold your loved ones tight and tell them how much they mean to you. Rain or shine. In a world of cruelty, choose kindness.
"You hear people say, 'Well, they put up the good fight.' I understand that. I know what they're saying. But to somebody who has cancer, when you say, 'they're putting up a fight', to me, it implies that if I put forth more effort, I can win. That there is always an opportunity for me to defeat this and the only reason I wouldn't is because of lack of effort. It's not a fight. It's survival. You're trying to survive. You're the fox that is caught in a trap and trying to free its paw. That's where you are. You’re not fighting. You're trying to save your life."
~ David Motl
